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1894 Map of Timpas

Name: 1894 Topographic Map of Timpas
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1909
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1909

About this map

The Arkansas River serves as the northern anchor for this landscape, where the bustling rail junction of La Junta meets the A. T. & S. F. R. R. and the historic Santa Fe Trail. Surveyed in 1889, the map reveals the critical relationship between water and transport in high-plains Colorado. Small outposts and water stops like Benton, Timpas, and Iron Springs dot the rail line as it follows Timpas Creek southwest toward the Las Animas county line.

Further south, the terrain breaks into a complex system of canyons carved by the Purgatoire River. This area is marked by more isolated landmarks such as Bent Canyon, Taylor Ranch, and the Black Hills. The presence of several named arroyos, including Crooked Arroyo and Lone Tree Arroyo, highlights the intermittent water sources that defined life for ranchers and travelers in this arid region at the end of the nineteenth century.